Phillips and his crew members spent five harrowing days in 2009 as a hostage of Somali pirates on a lifeboat after the Maersk Alabama was hijacked. He was rescued days later by U.S. Navy SEALs, who shot three of the pirates, reports ABC News.

Nine of the former 20 crew members of the container ship are suing the ship's owner, Maersk Line Limited, and the operator, Waterman Steamship Corporation, claiming Phillips put their lives in jeopardy and behaved like anything but a hero.

In this case, the crew members are unequivocally saying, "Yo ho ho, no" (OK, so they never said "Yo ho ho.").

They allege the companies and Cap'n Phillips "...knowingly, intentionally and willfully..." sent them into an area with pirates, because the route saved the company money, according to ABC News.

Even more damaging, they claim Phillips ignored maritime warnings -- including one issued two days before the pirates stormed their vessel, to stay at least 600 miles from the Somali coast because of a rash of attacks -- to keep on schedule.

Saving money and staying on schedule are probably not reasonable reasons to disregard warnings and steer into pirate-infested waters and risk your crew's life and limb.

Walk the Plank?

The crew members will not be asking Phillips to walk the plank as a remedy. A damages amount isn't stated in the lawsuit, but according to New York Daily News, it's a multi-million figure.